Photos and Review by Jeff Palmucci
Gallieries: Dropkick Murphys, Pennywise, The Scratch
Dropkick Murphys stopped by Boston last week for their traditional run of Boston shows culminating in Sunday’s St. Patrick’s day performance at the MGM Music Hall. I’ve been to their shows many, many times before. This time, I went to the Friday show.
I have an old DKM concert t-shirt from one of the 2014 shows. That was 10 years ago, and by the band’s count, they’ve been doing this for about 24 years. One thing I love about that old shirt is the list of tour cities on the back. It lists a bunch of cities the tour visited, but at the end of the list Boston appears 6 times – a true nod to their roots as a hometown band!
First up for the night was the Dublin band “The Scratch,” known for blending acoustic guitar, metal, and traditional Irish music. They gained popularity with a street performance video that went viral in 2017, check it out. It’s pretty amazing. They definitely warmed up the crowd that night. At one point, while standing a the bar, I turned around and all the bartenders were doing I little Irish step dance along to the music.
Next up was Pennywise, the classic punk who’ve been around since 1988. They played a mix of tunes from their extensive catalog including Fuck Authority and closing their set with Bro Hymn.
Finally, DKM hit the stage, bringing a huge response from the hometown crowd. Friday night happened to be Union Night, where the band showed their appreciation to local unions. I ran into this guy, who was totally psyched to be there for the show. DKM has done a lot to support the community, including this and the Claddagh Fund, and have never been shy when making a point that matters to them. (I f-ing love that video.)
Anyways, they played a wide variety of songs from their catalog, during their greater than 1 and a half hour set. They included “The Worker’s Song,” dedicated to the union members in the audience, classics like “Rose Tattoo” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”, and ending the night, appropriately, with “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced!”
These guys are a Boston St Patrick’s Day institution. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing for the holiday. Maybe I’ll see you there next year.